Cupboard



(No Model.)

A. DOW 85 L. H. GORGAS.

CUPBOARD.

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5 NTT STATES PATENT Erica.

CUPBOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 297,240, dated April 22, 1884.

Application filed March 10, 1884.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALONZO DOW and LEWIS H. GORGAS, citizens of the United States, residing at Wooster, in the county of Wayne and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Cupboard, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in cupboards for kitchen and dining-room uses. Its objects are, first, to provide a cupboard with an apartment adapted to be interchangeably used either as a convenient refrigerator for summer use, or warm, air-tight closet for winter use, as may be desired; second, to provide self-supporting shelves for the top of the cupboard, adapted to be readily detached from each other and from the cupboard, for the purpose of cleaning the same or moving the cupboard from place to place.

Our invention consists, first, of anovel construction of the refrigerator-apartment; secondly, of a novel construction and arrangement of the top shelves; and, lastly, in the combination, with an ordinary cupboard-apartment,

of the refrigerator or air-tight-closet apartment and the self-supporting shelves for the top ofthe cupboard,all as hereinafter set forth.

Our invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of our improved refrigerator-cupboard closed, showing also ourmcthod of constructing successive selfsupporting shelves for the top. Fig. 2 is a view of the same with the front casing removed, showing the interior of the cupboard and refrigerator-apartments. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of one side of the refrigerator-apartment. Fig. 4 is a front View of the icepan and condenser detached from the refrigerator-chamber.

Referring to the drawings, 0 is the usual cupboard-apartment, havinga door, 3 drawers d, shelves 8, sink D, and folding leaf L. We make no claim to thisapartment, and it may be made in any other style of manufacture desired.

Bis the refrigerator or airtight-closet apartment of the cupboard, of which A is the lid, which is made of double walls, with an airspace, a, between them. This apartment is separated from the cupboard-apartment O by the partition F, which, together with the bot- (N 0 model.)

tom F, end F, and the back wall of the cupboard, forms the outer casing or box of the refrigerator apartment. Within this outer box, and separated from it on every side by the continuous air-space a a a, is situated the inner box, T, which is supported in position by means of the outwardly-projecting rim or flange b, which rests upon the strip 1), which is firmlyattached to the outer casing. .The flange Z2 is bordered by an elastic strip, which projects both upwardly and downwardly,so as.

to contact below with the upper surface of the strip e and above with the overlapping flange of the lid A, thereby closing both the air-space a and the inner chamber, T, air-tight. By this arrangement we provide an apartment, B, with double walls, separated everywhere from each other by a continuous dead-air space, while at the same time the inner box or casing can be readily withdrawn from the outer casing when the lid A is raised, thereby enabling any mold or impurities that may gather within the dead-airspace to be removed. Heretofore the double walls of refrigerators have been made inseparable, and mold and foul air havebeen found to gather in the dead-air spaces without any way to remove the same, except by ventilators, which are themselves objectionable. All these defects we overcome by the above device. Heretofore, also, the double walls have been united upon a frame-work of strips, which communicate heat to the inner casing and gather mold and dampness at the seams and joints within the walls. I These defects we avoid by suspending the inner boX, T, within the outer box, F, by the flange b and supporting-strip e, as above set forth, so as to form the continuous air-spacey; entirely surrounding the inner box, T, serving the purpose of a continuous dead-air space within the double walls, which together form an improved refrigerator-wall.

At one side of the interior chamber, T, is the reservoir for ice I. This reservoir is made of any suitable metallic sheathing. Its bottom P slants downwardly until it reaches a point near the inner surface of the side wall, whence it extends vertically downward to near the floor of the chamber, forming the continuous metallic surface 1?, which terminates with a downwardly-slanting edge, 0, bent sidewise in both directions, to catch and carry off at one corner thereof the drip from the ice passing downward over the surface next to the wall, and also the water arising from the vapors which condense upon its inner surface into some suitable reservoir at the bottom. .Thus it will be seen that the metallic sheathing forms a suitable reservoir for the ice, and at the same time, by reason of the ice-water passing over it and its extended surface 1?, the vapors arising within the chamber are condensed upon theinner surface and carried off into the reservoir at the bottom. By this device, also, the air on one side of the chamber is kept constantly colder by the ice-pan P and condenser P, whereby a current of air naturally arises and circulates within the chamber in the direction indicated by the arrows, Fig. 3, while all impurities are carried off by the condensation upon the metallic surface. Heretofore this condensation and circulation have been in part accomplished by means of a series of metallic troughs catching and carrying off the icewater. The device we employ is much simpler, less expensive, and presents a larger condensing-surface. At the same time, by

connecting the condensing-surface with the ice-pan, we arrange the entire sheathing upon cross-strips n a n, which rest in notches upon the ends of the shelf-strips m m and top supports, at, respectively, so that it may be drawn out of the chamber whenever desired, thereby adapting the chamber to be used as a mealchest or for other like purpose, and either with or without ice, thus adapting it to both summer and winter use, to keep articles cold or prevent them from freezing.

The shelves 8 are adapted to be moved along the supporting-strips m m, so as to be readily accessible from above, and are kept from the wall opposite the condenser P by a small space, to permit the air to circulate around them.

H H are self-supporting shelves for the top of the cupboard. E E are back boards for the same, respectively. Near each end of the back-board E is attached a double bracket, 9, having outwardly-projecting standards h it. These brackets strengthen the back boards E and prevent them from warping, and at the same time support the shelves. The lower edges of the back boardsE are made to extend below the lower edge of the brackets, so as to next lower shelf, as the case may be, and the shelves H are attached to the upper part of the brackets h, so as to form with the back board an upper corner, K, to receive the lower edge of the next adjacent back board, E. By this device a frame is formed for each shelf, which is self-supporting and detachable from the cupboard and from the next shelf; and any number of shelves may be added in like manner, and the series may be made to terminate with an ornamental top, E, supported in like manner.

IVe are aware that cupboards have been heretofore used having top shelves, and also that refrigerators have been constructed with double walls and dead-air chambers. \Ve do not, therefore, claim such, broadly; but

That we do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a cupboard, the eombination,with the box 13, open at the top, having lidA and supporting-strip e, of the removable inner boX,T, provided with marginal rim b, forming with the box B the continuous dead-air space a, with the double wall, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

2. In combination with the inner box,T,the detachable ice-pan P, with condensing-sheet P, supporting-strips m n, and shelves 8, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with the cupboard G and box B, the detachable shelves, constructed as shown-to wit, with back board E, double brackets g, and shelf H, the back board E arranged to form, with the brackets g and shelf H, the supporting-angles K and K, respectively, substantially as set forth.

4.. In a cupboard, the eombination,with cupboard-apartment O, of the refrigerator-apartment B, constructed as shown and described, and the detachable shelves provided with back board E, double brackets g, and supporting-angles K K, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof we hereunto set our hands this 26th day of January, A, D. 1884:.

ALONZO Dow. LEWIS H. GORGAS.

Witnesses:

H. B. Swxnrz, WM. H. WOODLAND, 

